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Author Notes:Are Lamingtons the first thing that comes to you when seeing these cherry and coconut cakes? If so, you wouldn’t be the only one.
I made these mini cakes to bring to a gathering of friend’s last weekend and guess what the most common question I was asked was: Oh Lau, are they Lamingtons?.
No, they’re not.
I would never venture to call this recipe Lamingtons, but they are Paleo cherry and coconut cakes.
Nevertheless, Lamingtons inspired me to make these cherry and coconut cakes. To turn the sponge cake to Paleo I used the same recipe for my Catalan sweets for which I have a deep weakness. It’s made from just four ingredients which are, sweet potato, almond flour, maple syrup and an egg. They give a fabulous fluffy texture to the cakes, not to mention the beautiful orange contrast with the cherry and coconut.
When I discovered the Lamingtons, the idea of covering the mini cakes with two ingredients fascinated me but, instead of dipping the cakes in chocolate frosting, I dipped my mini cakes in a handmade smooth cherry jam. —Laura | Lau Sunday cooks

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Makes 9

150
grams sweet potato, mashed

1
cup almond flour

3/4
cup maple syrup

1
small egg

6
cups cherries, pitted and chopped

1
cup pure honey

1
tablespoon lemon juice

1
cup desiccated coconut

9
cherries, to top the cakes

Place the sweet potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender.

Using a masher, mash the sweets potatoes and let it cool.

In a large bowl, sieve in the almond flour, add the mashed sweet potato and maple syrup.

Mix well using your hands. Add the egg and continue mixing all the ingredients together until you get a consistent dough. If the mixture is too wet, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of almond flour.

Using a tablespoon, scoop to form the dough into a golf-size balls, then, press down gently in the centre of the cake with your knuckle to make the hole for the cherry.

Place the mini cakes leaving about 1 cm / 0.4 in. between them. Bake for about 10 minutes, then grill top for about 3 minutes until golden. Let them cool.

Meanwhile cakes are baking /cooling, make the cherry jam. Place the cherries in a large saucepan. Use the back of a wooden spoon to crush cherries to release their juices. Add the lemon juice and place over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the cherries are tender. Add the honey and cook, stirring, for 10-15 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Then, turn heat to high and bring to a rolling boil. Cook for 4 minutes more and remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Dip the mini cakes into the cherry jam, then roll in the desiccated coconut. Top with a cherry each cake and enjoy!